سورة المعارج
Surah Al-Ma'arij
The Ascending Stairways
Surah Al-Ma'arij (The Ascending Stairways) is the 70th surah of the Quran. It has 44 verses and is a Meccan surah. Below is the complete Arabic text with an English translation and transliteration, verse by verse.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابࣲ وَاقِعࣲ﴿١﴾
Saala sailun biʿathabin waqiʿin
A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen
لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعࣱ﴿٢﴾
Lilkafireena laysa lahu dafiʿun
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ﴿٣﴾
Mina Allahi thee almaʿariji
[It is] from Allāh, owner of the ways of ascent.
تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَ ٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمࣲ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةࣲ﴿٤﴾
Taʿruju almalaikatu waalrroohu ilayhi fee yawmin kana miqdaruhu khamseena alfa sanatin
The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرࣰا جَمِيلًا﴿٥﴾
Faisbir sabran jameelan
So be patient with gracious patience.
إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدࣰا﴿٦﴾
Innahum yarawnahu baʿeedan
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
وَ نَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبࣰا﴿٧﴾
Wanarahu qareeban
But We see it [as] near.
يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ﴿٨﴾
Yawma takoonu alssamao kaalmuhli
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,
وَ تَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ﴿٩﴾
Watakoonu aljibalu kaalʿihni
And the mountains will be like wool,
وَ لَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمࣰا﴿١٠﴾
Wala yasalu hameemun hameeman
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ﴿١١﴾
Yubassaroonahum yawaddu almujrimu law yaftadee min ʿathabi yawmiithin bibaneehi
They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children
وَ صَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَ أَخِيهِ﴿١٢﴾
Wasahibatihi waakheehi
And his wife and his brother
وَ فَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ﴿١٣﴾
Wafaseelatihi allatee tuweehi
And his nearest kindred who shelter him
وَ مَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعࣰا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ﴿١٤﴾
Waman fee alardi jameeʿan thumma yunjeehi
And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ﴿١٥﴾
Kalla innaha latha
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
نَزَّاعَةࣰ لِّلشَّوَىٰ﴿١٦﴾
Nazzaʿatan lilshshawa
A remover of exteriors.
تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَ تَوَلَّىٰ﴿١٧﴾
Tadʿoo man adbara watawalla
It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]
وَ جَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ﴿١٨﴾
Wajamaʿa faawʿa
And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا﴿١٩﴾
Inna alinsana khuliqa halooʿan
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعࣰا﴿٢٠﴾
Itha massahu alshsharru jazooʿan
When evil touches him, impatient,
وَ إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا﴿٢١﴾
Waitha massahu alkhayru manooʿan
And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ﴿٢٢﴾
Illa almusalleena
Except the observers of prayer -
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ﴿٢٣﴾
Allatheena hum ʿala salatihim daimoona
Those who are constant in their prayer
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقࣱّ مَّعۡلُومࣱ﴿٢٤﴾
Waallatheena fee amwalihim haqqun maʿloomun
And those within whose wealth is a known right
لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَ ٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ﴿٢٥﴾
Lilssaili waalmahroomi
For the petitioner and the deprived -
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ﴿٢٦﴾
Waallatheena yusaddiqoona biyawmi alddeeni
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ﴿٢٧﴾
Waallatheena hum min ʿathabi rabbihim mushfiqoona
And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمۡ غَيۡرُ مَأۡمُونࣲ﴿٢٨﴾
Inna ʿathaba rabbihim ghayru mamoonin
Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe -
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ﴿٢٩﴾
Waallatheena hum lifuroojihim hafithoona
And those who guard their private parts
إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ﴿٣٠﴾
Illa ʿala azwajihim aw ma malakat aymanuhum fainnahum ghayru maloomeena
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed -
فَمَنِ ٱبۡتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡعَادُونَ﴿٣١﴾
Famani ibtagha waraa thalika faolaika humu alʿadoona
But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمۡ وَ عَهۡدِهِمۡ رَٰعُونَ﴿٣٢﴾
Waallatheena hum liamanatihim waʿahdihim raʿoona
And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمۡ قَآئِمُونَ﴿٣٣﴾
Waallatheena hum bishahadatihim qaimoona
And those who are in their testimonies upright
وَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ﴿٣٤﴾
Waallatheena hum ʿala salatihim yuhafithoona
And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ فِي جَنَّٰتࣲ مُّكۡرَمُونَ﴿٣٥﴾
Olaika fee jannatin mukramoona
They will be in gardens, honored.
فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ قِبَلَكَ مُهۡطِعِينَ﴿٣٦﴾
Famali allatheena kafaroo qibalaka muhtiʿeena
So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muḥammad],
عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَ عَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ﴿٣٧﴾
ʿani alyameeni waʿani alshshimali ʿizeena
[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?
أَيَطۡمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيࣲٕ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُدۡخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمࣲ﴿٣٨﴾
Ayatmaʿu kullu imriin minhum an yudkhala jannata naʿeemin
Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٣٩﴾
Kalla inna khalaqnahum mimma yaʿlamoona
No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ وَ ٱلۡمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ﴿٤٠﴾
Fala oqsimu birabbi almashariqi waalmagharibi inna laqadiroona
So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings that indeed We are able
عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيۡرࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَ مَا نَحۡنُ بِمَسۡبُوقِينَ﴿٤١﴾
ʿala an nubaddila khayran minhum wama nahnu bimasbooqeena
To replace them with better than them; and We are not to be outdone.
فَذَرۡهُمۡ يَخُوضُواْ وَ يَلۡعَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُواْ يَوۡمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ﴿٤٢﴾
Fatharhum yakhoodoo wayalʿaboo hatta yulaqoo yawmahumu allathee yooʿadoona
So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised -
يَوۡمَ يَخۡرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ سِرَاعࣰا كَأَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ نُصُبࣲ يُوفِضُونَ﴿٤٣﴾
Yawma yakhrujoona mina alajdathi siraʿan kaannahum ila nusubin yoofidoona
The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.
خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةࣱ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ﴿٤٤﴾
Khashiʿatan absaruhum tarhaquhum thillatun thalika alyawmu allathee kanoo yooʿadoona
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised.
Translation: Saheeh International · Transliteration
About this surah
Name
The Surah takes its name from the word dhil Ma'arij in verse 3.
Period of Revelation
The subject matter bears evidence that this Surah too was sent down in conditions closely resembling those under which Surah Al Haaqqah was sent down.
Theme and Subject Matter
It admonishes and gives warning to the disbelievers who made fun of the news about Resurrection and the Hereafter, and Hell and Heaven, and challenged the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) to cause Resurrection with which he threatened them to take place if what he said was true and they had become worthy of the punishment in Hell by denying it. The whole Surah is meant to answer this denial.
The Surah opens with words to the effect:"A demander has demanded a torment, the torment which must befall the deniers; and when it takes place, there will be none to prevent it, but it will take place at its own appointed time. Allah has His own way of doing things, but He is not unjust. Therefore, have patience, O Prophet, at what they say. They think it is far off, but We see it as near at hand."
Then it is said:"Resurrection, which they desire to be hastened out of jest and fun, is terrible, and when it comes, it will cause great distress to the culprits. At that time they will even be prepared to give away their wives and children and their nearest kinsfolk in ransom to escape the punishment, but they will not be able to escape it.
Then the people have been warned to the effect; "On that Day the destinies of men will be decided strictly on the basis of their belief and their conduct. Those who turn away from the Truth in the world and amass wealth and withhold it from the needy, will be doomed to Hell; and those who fear the punishment of God here, believe in the Hereafter, keep up the Prayer, discharge the rights of the needy out of their wealth, strictly avoid immoral and wicked deeds, practice honesty in all their dealings, fulfill their pledges and trust and bear true witness, will have a place of honor in Paradise"
In conclusion, the disbelievers of Makkah who rushed in upon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) from every side as soon as they saw him, in order to make fun of him, have been warned to the effect: "If you do not believe, Allah will replace you by other people who will be better than you", and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been consoled, so as to say: "Do not take to heart their mockery and jesting; leave them to indulge in their idle talk and foolish conduct if they are bent upon experiencing the disgrace and humiliation of the Resurrection; they will themselves see their evil end."'
Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran